CHAPTER 14 SolutionFocused Brief Therapy and Narrative Family
CHAPTER 14: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice 6 th Edition Samuel T. Gladding Developed by Nathaniel N. Ivers, Wake Forest University © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Overview • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy • Narrative Family Therapy Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -2
Solution Focused Brief Therapy • Grew out of strategic therapy • Represents a departure from a focus on pathology -drive approaches to therapy by concentrating on skills, strengths, and resources that clients possess • It is change-oriented in that it emphasizes finding solutions for dealing with problems Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -3
Solution-Focused and Solution-Oriented Family Therapies: Major Theorists • Steve de. Shazer • Insoo Kim Berg • Michele Weiner-Davis • Eve Lipchik • Bill O’Hanlon Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -4
Steve de. Shazer • Helped to establish the Brief Family Therapy Center • Emphasized solutions over problems, and identified his theory as brief family therapy • Often referred to later in life as the “Grand Old Man of Family Therapy” • Died unexpected in 2005 in Vienna, Austria Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -5
Insoo Kim Berg • Helped to establish the Brief Family Therapy Center, where she served as Executive Director • Helped found the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association • Developed the miracle question • Authored or co-authored 10 books on solutionfocused therapy and numerous articles Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -6
Bill O’Hanlon • Trained under Milton Erickson • Has become a major proponent of solutionfocused therapy, which he prefers to call possibility therapy • Characterizes his approach as one that is pragmatic and full of Midwestern values Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -7
Michele Weiner-Davis • Has written popular books on solution-focused family, such as Divorce Busting. • Creator of the relationship program, Keeping Love Alive. • Recipient of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy’s Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award and Smart Marriages’ Impact Award Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -8
Premises of the Theory • Built on the philosophy of social constructionism • Shares some of the same premises about families as the MRI strategic approaches • Emphasizes the belief that dysfunctional families get stuck in dealing with problems • Aim of therapy is to break repetitive, nonproductive behavioral patterns by setting up situation in which families take a more positive view of troublesome situations and participate actively in doing something different Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -9
Premises of the Theory Three basic rules for helping families make positive changes: • • • If it is not broken, do not fix it. • Once you know what works, do more of it. • If something does not work, do not do it again. Do something different. Identifying what a problem is versus a nonproblem (or exception) is a key component in solution-focused brief therapy Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -10
Premises of the Theory • Does not focus on a detailed family history of problems • Causal understanding is unnecessary. • Families really want to change. • Only a small amount of change is necessary. Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -11
Treatment Techniques • Co-creation of a problem • Miracle question • Exceptions • Scaling • Second-order (qualitative) change • Compliment • Clue • Skeleton keys Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -12
Treatment Techniques • Between now and next time we meet • Do something different • Pay attention to what you do when • A lot of people in your situation would have • Write, read, and burn your thoughts Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -13
Role of the Therapists determine how active a family will be in the change process. Clients usually fall into one of three categories • • Visitors • Complainants • Customers Therapists are facilitators of change • • Presuppositional questioning • Positive blame Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -14
Role of the Therapist • Solution-focused family therapists believe that it is important to fit therapeutic interventions into the context of family behavior • Often a team approach • Solution-focused family therapists encourage families to make small changes and to do so rapidly • Therapist does not distinguish between short- and long-term problems Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -15
Process and Outcome • Solution-Focused Family Therapy is focused on encouraging client-families to seek solutions and utilize internal resources. • Pathology does not play a role in the process. • Assumes that change is inevitable – it’s only a matter of when. Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -16
Unique Aspects of Solution-Focused Family Therapy • Solution-focused theories Concentrate on and are directed by a family’s theory • Therapists assist families in defining their situations clearly, precisely, and with possibilities • Solution-focused therapy does not focus on clinical understanding of the family situation by the family or therapist • It is empowering and meant to assist families in assessing and utilizing their resources • Emphasizes achievable goals, such as small behavioral changes. Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -17
Narrative Family Therapy • Originated in Australia and New Zealand • Focuses on helping families solve difficulties by depersonalizing them and rewriting family stories • Focuses on externalizing problems so families can work together on them. Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -18
Major Theorists • Michael White • David Epston • Michael Durrant • Gerald Monk Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -19
Michael White • Influenced by Bruner, Foucault, and Vygotsky, as well as by Feminist theory • He also learned that narratives may be overshadowed by dominant problem-saturated stories • Influenced by Foucault • Believed that problems could be addressed when a culture’s values and ideas could be questioned or challenged. • Established the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Centre Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -20
Premises of the Theory • Nonsystemic approach to working with individuals and families based on liberation philosophy • Distinguishes between logico-scientific reasoning and narrative reasoning • People live their lives through their stories, and families are formed and transformed through stories • Emphasizes empowering client-families to develop their unique and alternative stories (reauthoring their lives) • Client-families urged to externalize problems to solve them Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -21
Treatment Techniques • Externalization of the Problem • Influence (Effect) of the Problem on the Person • Influence (Effect) of the Person on the Problem • Raising Dilemmas • Predicting Setbacks • Using Questions • Exceptions Questions • Significance Questions • Letters • Celebrations and Certificates Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -22
Role of the Therapist • Collaborator, who assumes the role of nonexpert • Centrifugal • Use relationship skills such as attending, paraphrasing, clarifying, summarizing, and checking • Assist families in separating themselves from old, problem-saturated stories by constructing new stories (reauthoring) • Help new stories emerge by looking for unique outcomes Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -23
Process and Outcome Process consists of three phases: • • Deconstructing the dominant cultural narrative • Externalizing the problem • Reauthoring the story (Molina et al. , 2004, p. 144) Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -24
Unique Aspects of Narrative Family Therapy • Emphasizes reauthoring by families of their stories • Individuals and families asked to look for exceptions to the difficult situations they are experiencing • Expectations of setbacks and the raising of dilemmas are built into narrative family therapy • Letters are sent to families about their progress, and celebrations are held when goals are achieved. Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 14 -25
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